Community Resources
It can be hard to know where to start when you’re looking for a child care provider. Here are some tips and recommended questions to ask in your search:
7 Tips for Finding the Right Child Care for Your Family
- Start early. Give yourself as much time as possible to find the best situation for your child. Many families start looking for child care during pregnancy.
- Consider your family’s needs and priorities. Think about what is most important to you in a child care setting. Do you need child care that’s close to work or your home? Full-time or part-time care? Does your child have special care needs? What are your cultural or language needs?
- Ask questions of providers. Call child care providers and ask questions about their services. Let them know about the needs of your child and make a list of the providers that meet your criteria. What times are they open? What is the enrollment process like? What is the cost, and are subsidies accepted? What do they do to monitor the quality of care and safety?
- Pay a visit. Visit the facility in person, if you can. Some providers offer ways to connect virtually, which may be more convenient. During the visit, observe activities and staff-child interactions. Can you imagine your child in the environment?
- Make a shortlist. Make a short list of child care providers you like and rank them in order of which ones will work best for your family. Apply to the program that best meets your needs. If your child isn’t accepted, move on to your second choice, and so on.
- Refer to our checklist. Use the Child Care Aware of Washington Checklist to help you assess the child care program’s ability to meet the needs of your child.
- Connect with us. Our Family Center can explain the different types of child care options and help you find a suitable program for your family. We can also help connect you with programs that offer financial assistance. Call us at (800) 446-1114.
Resources for Social-Emotional Mental Health
Questions to Ask
During your search, call and visit several child care programs and get answers to important questions like these:
- How many children does each adult supervise?
- What is the typical daily schedule?
- How does the child care provider set limits and discipline?
- How will the provider help prepare my child for kindergarten?
- What types of meals will be provided to my child?
- How will the provider honor our family’s culture?
Resources for Talking With Children About Racism
Click here for a list of resources for talking with children about racism.
Resources for Federal Tax Credits/Refunds
Working Families Tax Credit – Washington State
Children’s Defense Fund Federal Child Tax Credit Resources
Child Development Resources
- Parent Help 123 – information on local resources, pregnancy, child development and programs for families
- Help Me Grow Washington– free child development information and resources
- Kindergarten Readiness – learn if your child is ready to start kindergarten
- Vroom – ideas for turning everyday moments into brain-building opportunities for your infant, toddler or preschooler
- Institute of Learning and Brain Science– online learning modules from the University of Washington about child development
- Zero to Three – a national, nonprofit organization that provides parents, professionals and policymakers the knowledge and know-how to nurture early development
- Learn the Signs, Act Early– an online resource for learning childhood developmental milestones from 0 – 5 years.
- Our Family Center Newsletters– articles and information about child developmentEarly numeracy & math resources in English and Spanish – materials from Stanford University’s Development & Research Early Math Education Center
Other Community Resources
- 211 (Statewide database of community resources)
- Apple Health (Free or low cost medical insurance program for children)
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
- Washington Connection (Local resources in every county statewide)
- Women, Infants and Children Nutrition Program (WIC)
